Internships and Co-ops

Students may elect to participate in internship or co-op programs during their undergraduate studies. Eligibility is based upon the completion of thirty credits, fifteen of which must be from a full-time semester on a University of Maryland campus. The student must have a GPA of at least 2.5. Internships are part-time professional on-the-job positions which are completed within a semester. Many internships are paid. Co-op positions, which extend beyond a single semester, are normally full-time paid experiences.

The department recommends that every student seriously consider at least one tour of professional practice during his or her undergraduate program. The experience may clarify and help determine succeeding semester course choices, both in computer science and in other disciplines. Those who co-op may earn enough money to pay tuition expenses for a subsequent semester. In addition, upper-level academic elective credit may be earned. Internships and co-op tours arm the new college graduate with what most employers are looking for — experience. Interested students can register using UMBC Works or learn more at the Career Center at (410) 455-2216, located at 201 Math/Psychology Building.

Academic Credit for Co-op/Internship — CMSC 498

Note: CMSC 498 can be taken by students in he Computer Science and Computer Engineering programs but does not count as a technical elective for either program. Credits for CMSC 498 may be used to satisfy the university’s 45 upper-level credit requirement for BS degrees.

CMSC 498 is an opportunity for students participating in the co-op or internship programs to earn academic credit for their experiences. It is available to those who have obtained a position through The Career Center. All procedures required by the Center must be completed, including the development of learning objectives. These objectives are formulated by the student in concert with his or her employment supervisor.

To earn credit in CMSC 498, the student must complete a paper, due on or before the final day of classes of the semester in which the work experience takes place. An outline of this paper is due one month before the end of the semester.

You may enroll in CMSC 498 only once.

CMSC 498 can only be taken as a Pass/Fail course.

CMSC 498 Enrollment Requirements

Note: if you do not complete a reasonable paper, you will receive an “F” for CMSC 498.

It is not the instructor’s responsibility to remind you of the deadlines. There are only two requirements for this class, and if you are responsible enough to have an internship position, you should be responsible enough to keep track of and meet two deadlines. A late outline or late paper will result in a failing grade for the class. You are strongly encouraged to write these deadlines on your calendar now (and if you don’t have a calendar, you are strongly encouraged to buy one).

Students interested in CMSC 498 must first apply through The Career Center and complete all preparatory requirements for a co-op or internship position. Please call (410) 455-2216 or register on UMBCworks and click “PRAC Registration & Requirements” under “Shortcuts,” to the right side of the homepage.

The student must sign this contract, describing their learning objectives, and acknowledging that they have read the requirements on this page and the Guidelines for CMSC 498 Reports. The learning objectives typically consist of 3-5 areas in which the student expects to gain new skills and knowledge, and a sentence or two summarizing what they hope to learn in those areas. Example learning objectives might be “learn about source control systems firsthand,” “learn real-time GPU programming,” “learn C++,” or “acquire advanced PHP programming skills.” Many students also have a learning objective that is more business-oriented — “learn how a startup works in practice,” “learn how to multitask effectively on multiple projects,” etc. The purpose of the learning objectives is to ensure that the internship will provide significant technical and/or career-related learning experiences, and to guide you as you prepare your final report.

A formal paper of 20-25 pages, double spaced, must be submitted to the Undergraduate Program Director on or before the final day of classes of the semester in which the student has enrolled in CMSC 498. The student should describe in this paper how the learning objectives were met, and should include the experiences, new information, and techniques used to meet the objectives. An outline of this paper is due one month before the final day of classes. Please review the Guidelines for CMSC 498 Reports carefully.